"Beguiling and intelligent, provocative and classic, ravishingly beautiful and deliciously edgy – The Newberry Consort has been delighting audiences for nearly three decades. Directed by David Douglass, Newberry Musician-in-Residence, and early music diva Ellen Hargis, the ensemble plumbs the Newberry Library's vast music collection and assembles a star-studded roster of local and international artists to bring you world-class performances of music from the 13th to the 18th centuries…and occasionally beyond!

Affiliated with the Newberry Library Center for Renaissance Studies, the Consort also serves as an ensemble-in-residence at both the University of Chicago and Northwestern University. In addition to an annual concert series in Chicago, the Consort has an active touring schedule. This season, traveling to several cities across the US, the Consort will offer two popular programs: Beautiful Dreamer: Music of Lincoln's America and Fair Oriana: an Early Film with Early Music, featuring an Elizabethan score to accompany Sarah Bernhardt's 1912 silent film Elizabeth I."

"The Practitioners of Musick ensemble, founded by John Burkhalter and the late Professor Eugene Roan (1931 - 2006) to survey the musical riches of 18th century Great Britain - Ireland & both the Colonial and early Federal periods in America. Recent research, has also focused attention on musical life in New-France before the Fall of Quebec in 1759.

The group has presented period entertainments of music at many of the 18th century sites that are administered by the New Jersey Division of Parks & Forestry and the National Park Service, as well as Old New Castle, Delaware, Colonial Williamsburg, Historic Deerfield, Massachusetts, and a great number of other historical sites. "

“The Tallahassee Bach Parley performs music of the Baroque era (approx. 1600-1750), using period instruments as often as possible, to recreate the experience of listening to this music as it may have sounded hundreds of years ago. The Bach Parley is made up of musicians who are trained in historically informed performance. They are mainly local professional performers and teachers, and FSU faculty and students. Many of the musicians also perform in Baroque music groups around the country, such as in Atlanta, New York, and Boston.

The word "parley" in French means discussion; the Tallahassee Bach Parley seeks to inform the audience by offering some commentary at each concert. Such dialogues give the audience historical background about the composers and their world, and an idea of what to listen for in the music. The educational commentary connects the audience with what the musicians are playing, breaking down barriers between performers and listeners, and makes the concert atmosphere more relaxed and the audience more enlightened and engaged.”

“The Vivaldi Project is a premier period instrument ensemble dedicated to presenting 17th- and 18th-century string repertoire. The name, The Vivaldi Project, refers not only to the group's core repertoire―the extraordinary works of the virtuoso violinist and composer, Antonio Vivaldi―but also the project of probing into the roots of Vivaldi's distinctive musical style. Vivaldi's innovative contributions to string writing, the concerto genre, and programmatic orchestral music place him as as a pivotal figure between earlier baroque composers and later classical composers. The Vivaldi Project explores this link through both chamber and orchestral works (those well-known and beloved as well as those rarely heard) from Stradella, Legrenzi, and Corelli, to J.S. Bach and his sons, and ultimately to Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. …

The Vivaldi Project, under the leadership of violinist Elizabeth Field and cellist Stephanie Vial, has been gaining critical acclaim for its brilliant and expressive string playing, as well as its innovative programming which combines scholarship and performance to both educate and delight audiences. The members and guest artists of The Vivaldi Project include leading soloists, concertmasters, teachers, and musical scholars in the Washington, DC area and around the country. Since it was founded by Field in 2006, the Vivaldi Project has performed throughout the DC area, and for the Washington and Boston Early Music Festivals. In 2010, the ensemble toured the Piedmont region of North Carolina with an unprecedented performance of all six of C.P.E. Bach's String Sinfonias, W. 182, under guest conductor John Hsu. The final live performance of these works at the National Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC will be released on CD by Centaur Records on April 2, 2012.”

"TREFOIL is a trio of singer-instrumentalists long active in early music, with experience in such ensembles as Concert Royal, Les Arts Florissants, New York's Ensemble for Early Music, Pomerium, Clarion Music society, Piffaro, My Lord Chamberlain's Consort, and other groups. The trio debuted in New York and Philadelphia early in 2000 with a program of 14th-century French ars subtilior song. The Philadelphia Inquirer tagged the performers as "a hearty trio of medieval music specialists" and their work as "an intricate, enigmatic vocal art." TREFOIL has appeared in concerts and master classes at The Cloisters, Temple University, Vassar College, Middlebury College, Franklin and Marshall College, the Vermont Millennium Arts Festival, the Museum Series of Providence, Boston College, the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, NH, the Neighborhood Music School in New Haven, the 2002 Amherst Early Music Festival, the New York Early Music Celebration, the Washington D.C. Early Music Festival, and the 37th International Congress on Medieval Studies at the University of Western Michigan at Kalamazoo. The trio has also made joint appearances with Piffaro, the Renaissance Band in Philadelphia, the Folger Concert in Washington, D.C. and The Newberry Consort in Chicago, Illinois. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

" Le Triomphe de l'amour is a chamber music ensemble performing Baroque music on original instruments.

Our concerts are more than just music: each is an exploration of music and cultural history, and a window into life in the 18th century. Illustrated pre-concert talks, focused program themes, and insightful program notes help to lead the audience to a deeper appreciation of the music.

Based in Princeton, NJ, Le Triomphe de l'amour presents an annual series of concerts performed in intimate surroundings by members of the ensemble and guest artists. Le Triomphe de l’amour is known for imaginative programming of both familiar and seldom-heard works of the 17th and 18th centuries. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

“One of few professional lute ensembles, the Venere Lute Quartet performs Renaissance and Baroque masterworks and is actively expanding the surviving lute ensemble repertoire with its own arrangements. The ensemble has performed throughout the United States and in Europe. Some appearances include the Lute Society of America, the Seattle Early Music Guild, La Guitarra California, Amherst Early Music Festival, Cambridge Society for Early Music, and the Fodella Foundation Series in Milan, Italy. Members of the Quartet are busy lute professionals in four of America's leading early music centers (Boston, New York, Chicago, and Minneapolis) who share a deep commitment to ensemble playing, lute scholarship, and audience education. “

"VOICES OF MUSIC performs both renaissance and baroque music, drawing upon the many and varied sources for historical performance practice. Performances are o­ne o­n a part, with an emphasis o­n combining both instrumental and vocal styles of interpretation and ornamentation. In addition to the concert series in the San Francisco Bay Area, Voices of Music sponsors the Young Artist Recitals, with the clear goal of working with the next generation of singers and musicians. Voices of Music is an affiliate of the San Francisco Early Music Society."

"Vox is a 12-voice professional, Ann Arbor based, a cappella ensemble dedicated to the performance of early (primarily Medieval and Renaissance) vocal music. Founded in 2000 by Executive Director Whitnie Crown Wolverton, Vox has been under the artistic direction of Christopher Wolverton since its inception. Members of Vox have sung professionally as soloists and ensemble artists with some of the most prestigious vocal music ensembles, including Chanticleer, St. Paul's Cathedral (London), The Rose Ensemble, Conspirare, St. Martin's Chamber Choir, and the Santa Fe Desert Chorale. " ...

“Founded in 1977 by Dr. J. Reilly Lewis, the Washington Bach Consort is committed to the study and performance of the complete vocal and instrumental works of Johann Sebastian Bach and his contemporaries. The mission of the Washington Bach Consort is to 1) Perform to the highest artistic standards the music of J.S. Bach and his Baroque contemporaries, 2) Expand its audience through concerts, collaborations with other performing ensembles, media appearances, marketable recordings and tours, and 3) Promote current and future appreciation of J.S. Bach in our community through compelling music education programs presented by members of the Consort.

As one of the nation's critically acclaimed and widely recognized performing arts institutions, it has appeared at numerous festivals and has made three European tours. Recordings include the Bach's complete motets, both J.S. and C.P.E. Bach's Magnificats, the first American recording of the F Major and G minor masses, and three solo soprano cantatas featuring opera superstar Elizabeth Futral. “

“Washington's Camerata, established in 2009, is a period instrument ensemble dedicated to the music of the 17th and 18th centuries. Founding flutists Kelly Kazik and Sarah McIver achieve innovative programming through the ensemble's unique instrumentation to bring charming and rarely heard music back to life. …”

“Wayward Sisters is Beth Wenstrom (baroque violin), Anne Timberlake (recorders), Anna Steinhoff (baroque cello), and John Lenti (theorbo and guitar). In 2011, Wayward Sisters won the Early Music America/Naxos recording competition, and will record their debut CD with Naxos during the 2011-2012 season. Critics have praised Wayward Sisters' "imaginative program and alert, stylish performances," as well as the group's "polished and spirited playing and well-balanced ensemble" (Chicago Classical Review).

Since debuting in 2009, Wayward Sisters has excited and inspired audiences across the United States, including appearing as Emerging Artists on the Newberry Consort's 2010-2011 concert season. Members of Wayward Sisters have studied historical performance at Oberlin Conservatory, Indiana University, and The Juilliard School.

The name "Wayward Sisters" refers not only to Henry Purcell's vivid conjuring of Shakespeare's witches, but to the group members' scattered lives and continuing commitment to making music together.”

“The Wessex Consort recreates a late 16th century European music ensemble. Similar groups worked in towns, churches and at courts, and were found throughout continental Europe and Great Britain.

Our ensemble consists of five musicians who play modern reproductions of historical instruments. The Wessex Consort has a variety of programs suitable for any occasion. Let us create a memorable musical experience for you. “

"The Women's Antique Vocal Ensemble (WAVE) was founded in September 1999 as an outgrowth of an education class sponsored by the San Francisco Early Music Society (SFEMS). This ensemble, now an affiliate of SFEMS, consists of 14 women who are dedicated to promoting and performing music of the medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods. From its inception WAVE's mission has been to perform in as authentic and skilled a manner as possible, while always striving to communicate the heart and soul of this incredibly rich musical heritage. WAVE has performed concerts in the greater San Francisco Bay Area as well as many public service concerts and outreach programs for communities in need such as hospitals, senior citizens, and the inmates at Santa Rita Jail. Members of WAVE give of their talent to support those in need as well as engender an appreciation of early music through their performances. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)